AP English and Colonial History Study Guide

AP English Language and Composition Course Overview

  • Course Details

    • Identifier: 2036−38272036-3827

    • Subject: AP English III

    • Instructor: Ashley Glover

    • Course Name: AP English Language and Composition

  • Summer Reading Assignment

    • Due Date: July 2424, 20262026

    • Primary Text: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

    • Supplementary Materials: A selection of articles relating to the novel.

    • Pedagogical Focus: While the primary focus of the year is nonfiction texts, the curriculum begins with a work of fiction to analyze the novel as an argument.

    • Analytical Objectives:

      • Examination of literary and stylistic techniques.

      • Understanding messaging regarding the American Dream.

The Pequot War and New England Settlement

  • Causation

    • The conflict was initiated after Pequots killed an English fur trader.

  • Alliances and Tactics

    • Soldiers from Massachusetts formed an alliance with Narragansett Indians.

    • The Narragansett Indians participated because they identified an opportunity to gain power over the Pequots.

    • The combined forces launched an attack on a Pequot village.

  • Outcomes

    • The majority of the village inhabitants were killed during the attack.

    • The war resulted in the opening of the Connecticut River to further colonial settlement.

King Philip's War (Metacom's War)

  • Leadership and Scope

    • Native Americans launched their largest attack on New England colonists.

    • The movement was led by Metacom, a Wampanoag Chief, who was known to the English as King Philip.

    • The conflict posed an existential threat to English northeast settlements, nearly ending them entirely.

  • Duration and Impact

    • The active fighting lasted for a duration of 22 years.

    • Native forces attacked half of the ao towns founded by the English.

    • A total of 1212 towns were destroyed during the conflict.

Puritan Worldview and the Mystery Document

  • Theological Framework

    • The Puritan perspective was strictly monotheistic.

    • Native Americans were perceived as a "scourge" sent by a higher power.

  • Self-Perception of the Colony

    • The central mission of the colony was to establish a great Christian Community.

    • The document indicates that Puritans eventually felt this mission was a failure.

    • The text provides insight into how Puritans perceived the world as a reflection of their spiritual standing.

The Impact of Indigenous History on American Mythology

  • The Concept of Historical "Clearing Up"

    • Much of what is taught regarding American history has been sanitized or "cleared up" to conform to a specific mythological view of the self.

  • Marginalization of Native Americans

    • Native Americans have been successfully marginalized, which leads to them being viewed as people they were not and are not.

    • Indigenous people were not merely passive subjects "acted upon" by history; they had a significant and active impact on historical events.

  • Integration of Histories

    • The history of indigenous people is not a separate entity from American visions; it is essential to the core of the American narrative.